Not only does this week feature the best slate of games we are going to see all year, it stacks up with any week in high school football history. Four MaxPreps Top 25 matchups are on tap, including a huge California vs. Texas showdown as No. 1 St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.) makes the near 1,500-mile trip to take on Allen at its $60 million dollar stadium.
That checks in as the second biggest game of the week.
No. 6 Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas) hosting No. 2 Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) takes our No. 1 spot in the Top 10 Games of the Week.
Gorman opened by rolling past Corner Canyon (Draper, Utah) 42-7 last week while Mater Dei extended its winning streak to 18. The defending MaxPreps National Champs beat West (Salt Lake City) 42-0.
Three other MaxPreps Top 25 matchups are featured as No. 4 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) hosts No. 14 Central (Miami), No. 13 Chaminade-Madonna (Hollywood, Fla.) takes on No. 17 St. John's (Washington, D.C.) and No. 19 American Heritage (Plantation, Fla.) faces Malachi Nelson and No. 25 Los Alamitos (Calif.).
Eight of the 10 games are out-of-state matchups while Florida and Texas have the only in-state games featured.
Every team included in this week's slate is in our expanded
top 100 rankings.
MaxPreps Top 10 Games of the Week
Top players
Fireworks are going to be on display in Vegas when these two heavyweights lock horns. Brown started his junior year throwing for five touchdowns in the Monarchs 42-0 season-opening win, improving his record to 18-0 as the starting QB. The Gaels dominated on both sides of the ball as Alejado accounted for four scores while the defense never allowed Isaac Wilson to get on track. This is the third meeting between the two national powers since 2017 and Mater Dei has won the first two by an average margin of 28 points per game.
Top players
It's a big deal anytime California vs. Texas goes down, especially when it involves two of the premier programs. The Braves begin the 2022 season as the top-ranked team in the MaxPreps Top 25 and are loaded at every position, especially in the secondary. They have five defensive backs rated as four-star recruits or higher on 247Sports composite rankings. The Lee Wiginton era begins for Allen as he replaces Chad Morris as the new head coach. He led Midlothian Heritage (Midlothian, Texas) to a 61-19 record during his six year tenure as the only Jaguars head coach in program history.
Top players
Any other week this matchup would have a great chance to be the MaxPreps Game of the Week. The Rockets have won three consecutive state titles heading into the season and have the talent to make it a four-peat. The Ascenders have 16 players rated as a four-star recruit or higher and seven are five-stars on 247Sports composite rankings.
Saturday, 4 p.m. at St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) - ESPN2
Top players
This is one of the juiciest games of the weekend and loaded with four- and five-stars. Nelson showed why he's one of the top-rated players in the country completing 22-of-29 passes for 418 yards and five touchdowns in the Griffins' 41-0 win over Garces Memorial (Bakersfield). Inniss, a five-star Ohio State commit, put on a show in Heritage's season-opening 38-20 win over Lowndes (Valdosta, Ga.). He had 200-plus yards receiving and two touchdowns.
Top players
The fourth and final MaxPreps Top 25 matchup included features some of the best players in Florida and the DMV area. The Lions won their fourth state title since 2017 last season and this year's squad is more talented than any of those state championship teams. The Cadets finished last season a perfect 11-0 and won their first WCAC title since 2017.
Saturday, noon - ESPN
Top players
The first of four games on the ESPN networks this Saturday features two of the premier programs in the country. The Raiders won their third consecutive 7A state crown last season, giving them 13 state titles in school history — the most by any school in Florida. The Hawks had their three-year state title run come to an end last season but bring back the talent to make it four in five years.
Saturday, 6 p.m. at John Kincaide Stadium (Dallas) - ESPN2
Top players
Texas gets underway this week and the biggest in-state matchup features the 15th-ranked Panthers taking on the defending 5A Division 2 state champs. The Bears became the first Dallas ISD school to win a state title since 1958. Both teams have some of the best talent in the state. South Oak Cliff went 15-1 last season and its only loss came against Duncanville, 42-27. The Panthers went 13-2 with their only two losses coming against Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) and North Shore (Houston) in the 6A Division 1 state championship.
Top players
St. Frances Academy will travel nearly 8,500 miles this season and opens up in Ohio against one of the top programs in the Midwest. The Panthers have the
toughest schedule in the country and the road games are a big reason why. The Panthers won't play their first home game until Oct. 7, which is their sixth game of the season. The Baltimore power has gone 42-2 since 2017 and have notable wins over De La Salle (Concord, Calif.), Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.), Good Counsel (Olney, Md.), IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), Lee County (Leesburg, Ga.) and Miami Central (Miami).
Top players
This is one of seven matchups included in the Broward County vs. USA Showcase and four are featured in our Top 10 Games of the Week. Both teams begin the season just outside of the MaxPreps Top 25 and a win would make a good case for either to jump into the rankings. The Chiefs have won two consecutive 4A state titles, while the Stags are trying to win their first WCAC crown since 2016 when
Chase Young led them to a 12-0 season.
Saturday, 9 p.m. - ESPNU
Top players
Trent Dilfer has done a tremendous job since taking over as head coach going 32-10 during his first three-plus years. He led the Mustangs to their first state title since 2007 last season and started off the 2022 campaign with a monster win in Georgia against Milton, last year's AAAAAAA state runner-up. Up next, they face the three-time defending Alabama 7A state champs, who is going to be hungry after losing 38-7 last week to No. 10 Buford (Ga.).
